St Just in Roseland Protestation returns 1641

"Introduction to the Oxford Protestation Returns. Oxford Record Society, and C.S.A.Dobson Esq Librarian to the House of
Lords".

Just prior to the English Civil War, all English men over the age of 18 were
asked to sign the Protestation Returns affirming their support for the Church of
England. The following passage describes the Act and the reason for its
promulgation in more detail:

The Protestation Returns owe their existence to the unrest which prevailed in
Parliament during the passage of the bill for the Attainder of the Earl of
Strafford in 1641. The House of Commons had passed the bill on the 21st of April
and the House of Lords gave it a second reading on the 27th April. The Upper
House were known, however to favour the continuation of the procedure by
impeachment, and it was not certain whether they would finally pass the bill.
Moreover the House of Commons learnt on the 28th April that a plan had been made
for rescuing Strafford, and rumours were current of various plots to persuade
the King to use the army to overawe Parliament and thus release Strafford. An
unsuccessful attempt made by the King to occupy the Tower of London caused
rioting near the Houses of Parliament and his speech in the House of Lords on
the 1st of May against the execution of Strafford also produced great alarm. On
the 3rd May John Pym declared in the House of Commons that it was necessary to
be careful that the King "have good counsellors about him" and that
the House of Commons ought "to let him understand that he is bound to
maintain the laws and that we take care for the maintaining of the Word of
God." After other speakers had spoken vaguely of the necessity for the
organisation of some form of resistance, Henry Marten said "We are honest
disjointed fellows. Let us unite ourselves for the pure worship of God, the
defence of the King and his subjects in all their legal rights." George
Peard reminded the House of the oath of Association taken in Queen Elizabeth's
reign, and Denzil Holles said that a similar protestation would show the world
that they were united. Accordingly a committee of ten members was appointed to
draw up a form of Protestation and it was ordered that no members should stir
out of the House without leave, nor speak to the messengers. The Protestation
was agreed upon and all members were ordered to sign it. On the following day,
the 4th May, the Protestation was agreed to by the House of Lords and all the
Protestant Peers signed it. It ran as follows :-

I, A.B., do in the presence of Almighty God, promise, vow and protest
to maintain and defend, as far as lawfully I may, with my Life, Power and
Estate the true Reformed Protestant Religion, expressed in the Doctrine of the
Church of England, against all Popery and Popish Innovations within this
Realm, contrary to the same Doctrine, and according to the Duty of my
Allegiance, His Majesty's Royal, Person, Honour and Estate, as also the Power
and Privileges of Parliaments, the lawful Rights and Liberties of the
Subjects, and every person that maketh this Protestation, in whatsoever he
shall do in the lawful Pursuance of the same; and to my power, and as far as
lawfully I may, I will oppose and by all good Ways and Means endeavour to
bring to condign Punishment all such as shall, either by Force, Practice
Counsels, Plots, Conspiracies, or otherwise, do any Thing to the contrary of
any Thing in this present Protestation contained; and further, that I shall in
all just and honourable Ways, endeavour to preserve the Union and Peace
betwixt the three Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland: and neither for
Hope, Fear, nor any other Respect, shall relinquish this Promise, Vow and
Protestation.

On the 6th May a bill was introduced in the House of Commons imposing the
obligation of signing the Protestation on all Englishmen. It provided that those
who refused to sign were held to be incapable of holding office, and that Peers
who refused were to be deprived of their seats in the House of Lords. It was
doubtless this latter provision which led the Upper House to reject the bill on
the 29th July. But on the 30th July the House of Commons passed a resolution
that all who refused the Protestation were unfit to hold office in Church or
Commonwealth, and this was ordered to be printed. It was not, however, until the
following January that the Protestation itself was printed. Copies were Sent
down to the sheriffs without further delay and accompanying them was the
following letter of instructions from the Speaker of the House of Commons:

Accordingly, the Speaker of the House of Commons desired:

The High Sheriff and the Justices of the Peace of that County to meet
together in one Place, as soon as possible you may, and there to take the
Protestation yourselves, and then, dispersing yourselves into your several
Divisions, that you will call together the Minister, the Constables,
Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor of every Parish, and tender unto them
the Protestation, to be taken in your presence, and to desire of them that
they will very speedily call together the Inhabitants of their several
Parishes, both Householders and others, being of Eighteen Years of age and
upwards, into One or more Places, according to the largeness of their
Parishes, and to tender unto them the same Protestation, to be taken in their
Presence, and to take their names, both of those that do take it, and do
refuse to take the same Protestation; and to return them to yourselves

Just imagine the work involved gathering all men aged 18 and over together in
1642 and the impact of the Protestation on the community when, in the last week
in February or the first in March, the parish priest read the protestation in
church.

All individuals bearing the various family names in the parishes concerned
‘signed’ the Protestation.

Forename

SURNAME

Mark

Document Notes

Nicho

THOMAS

-

-

John

ELAND

-

-

Water

HEGAW

M

-

John

PENHALLOW

-

-

Haniball

RANDALL

-

-

Thomas

COOKE

-

-

Ambrosse

JENKIN

M

-

Joh

STODDENN (or STODDERNE)

-

-

Geoarge

VESEY

M

-

William

RICHARDES

M

-

Michaell

BOSKEENE

M

-

Robert

CROCKER

-

-

Robert

NICHOLAS

M

-

Thomas

SHEERE

M

-

Stephen

HEGAWE

-

-

Thomas

MATA

-

-

Simon

WOLKOCKE

M

-

Agostin

JENINGES

M

-

John

WILLTON

M

-

Nicholas

MICHELL

M

-

John

DINGELL

M

-

William

TYNNY

-

-

Bastian

JACKE

-

-

John

GREETE

M

-

George

BLAMY

M

-

Nicholas

GREETE

-

-

Willi

UREN

M

-

Stephen

SKEWS

-

-

Slader

PASKOW

M

-

Thomas

AMBROSE

-

-

Tho.

GRET

M

-

John

TOINKINGE

-

-

Tho

SARA

M

-

Rich

JENKING

M

-

Anthony

PARROW

-

-

Fra

GOLDSMITH

M

-

John

HEGAWE

-

-

Phillipe

GEENE

M

-

Haniball

BESKEENE

M

-

Henry

BOSWARVA

M

-

Walter

VERNON

M

-

Walter

HIDE

M

-

Marten

RICHARDS

M

-

Jacob

JAMES

M

-

John

GREET

M

-

Dunston

KELLY

M

-

Willyam

RICE

M

-

John

JAMES

M

-

Michell

BOSWARVA

-

-

Alexander

HARRIS

M

-

Thomas

JAMES

M

-

Peris

DAVIE

M

-

John

GATTYE

M

-

John

JAMES

M

-

John

JOSEPH

M

-

Willyam

WILLIAMS

M

-

Tristrem

EXBRIDGE

M

-

Willi

LUKE

M

-

Robert

JAMES

M

-

Joell

HEWGOE

-

-

Henry

GRUBB

M

-

Walter

MAYE

M

-

Stephen

RICHARDS

M

-

Penticost

IVEY

-

-

Thomas

COOKE

-

-

John

KESTELTON

M

-

Richard

JAMES

M

-

Richard

MATA

-

-

Edward

BALL

-

-

William

GYLES

-

-

Willy

SARA

M

-

Adam

PASKOW

M

-

Will

JENON

-

-

Mathew

JAMES

-

-

Thomas

BOSWARVA

M

-

Willyam

WILTON

M

-

Henry

LEVIETUPE

-

-

Richard

HAKY

-

-

Michell

INCHE

M

-

Tho

FRANCIS

M

-

Richard

SQERE

-

-

Step

SARA

M

-

Richard

DAVYE

M

-

Tho

SARA

M

-

John

GRUB

M

-

Nic

LUKE

M

-

John

MARTYN

M

-

Gregery

LAMERTON

M

-

John

LUKE

M

-

Michell

JENKIN

M

-

Sam

SHEARE

M

-

Tho

HARRIS

M

-

Degory

BLAKE

M

-

Manuell

DREWEY

M

-

Degory

GIMBLET

M

-

Martin

PEARCE

-

-

Haniball

LUKE

M

-

Allex

PERES

M

-

Phillipe

NICHOLAS

M

-

Willi

HOLMAN

M

-

Steph

CRUGO

M

-

Henry

PERES

-

-

George

DAVIES

M

-

Tho

BARNARD

M

-

Edmund

REYNOLD

M

-

Robert

TREWEKE

M

-

Thomas

LUKE

M

-

Thomas

SHIPERD

M

-

Thomas

HENDY

M

-

Robert

JAGOE

-

-

John

THOMAS

M

-

William

CONDEROE

M

-

James

SKEWES

M

-

John

TREWEKE

M

-

Thomas

JAMES

-

-

Thomas

REYNOLDS

M

-

Thomas

LALEAN

M

-

Richard

CAYMES

M

-

Nicholas

PERES

M

-

Anthony

JACKA

M

-

Stephen

HEGAWE

M

-

Inigo

VINCENT

-

-

John

JOSEPH

M

-

Humphry

THOMAS

M

-

Stephen

JOHN

-

-

William

HARVE

M?

-

Nicholas

BADCOCKE

M

-

Thomas

JACKEYOU (Jun?)

M

-

Thomas

RAWE

M

-

Mathias

JACKE

-

-

Tho

NICHOLSON

-

-

Rafe

FARLEY

M

-

Thomas

BISHOP

M

-

Thomas

DREWEY

M

-

John

IVER..

?

-

Nic

WOODS

M

-

John

COREN

-

-

Willyam

RAWE

M

-

Saundry

PHILIPES

-

-

Thomas

DREWE

-

-

Justinian

LOWER

M

-

Walter

JAMES

M

-

Francis

JAMES

M

-

John

RAWE

M

-

Anbrose

PHILLIPES

M

-

Humphry

VIVEAN

-

-

Thomas

MATTA

M

-

William

BORLEY

M

-

Math

UREN

M

-

John

VINCENT

M

-

Thomas

COOCH

M

-

Thomas

HEGAWE

M

-

Humfrey

PEARS

-

-

Rich

THOMAS

M

-

Nic

RAWE

M

-

Thomas

CESTELL

M

-

Martin

RAWE

-

-

John

UREN

M

-

John

VINCENT

M

-

Step

EXBRIGE

M

-

Lawrence

VERMAN

-

-

John

WOULLCOCK

-

-

Martin

HEWGOE

-

-

Nicholas

JENKING

-

-

Richard

PILL

M

-

Lawrence

RESUGGAN

-

-

Nicho

BOSKENE

M

-

Thomas

HUGOE

-

-

Stephen

CHRISTOPHER

M

-

Willi

PERES

M

-

Michell

WOLCOKE

M

-

John

WILKIN

M

-

Thomas

MANLEY

M

-

Christopher

JAMES

M

-

Stephen

HORE

-

-

John

NICHOLSON

-

Pastor

Mychell

VEYSEY

M

Constable

Thomas

JACKE

-

Constable

Stephen

COOKE

-

Churchwarden

John

JANE

-

Collector

John

LUKE

M

Collector

Ha

BONYTHON

-

March the first 1641. A Promise Vowe and Protestation taken at His Majesty's Castle of St Mawes by Hanniball Bonython commanding there under the right Honourable Thomas Erle of Arundell and Surrey Erle Marshall of England etc together by all the souldiers of the foresayd garryson whose names are herunder written